[Detox Your Soul] Day 17 – Get Clear

The excitement was almost too much for her to bear. 

All of those beautifully wrapped boxes under the Christmas tree.  Wrapped with bright red and green paper and tied with shiny gold ribbons.  Her eyes sparkled as she picked up one of the boxes and carefully unwrapped the package, not wanting to tear the beautiful paper. 

As she opened the box, she thought about all the possibilities of what could be inside.  Maybe it was a new doll with long curly hair.  Or, maybe it was a new dress.  Maybe….

But, as she opened the box, her excitement faded. There was nothing inside.  It was empty. 

That may be the feeling you have about your life right now.

On the outside, it looks pretty good.  You have spent most of your life pursuing what you thought would make you happy only to obtain it and realize there is nothing there.

Solomon summed it up like this, “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11, NIV)

Do your goals seem meaningless and unfulfilling?

Have you accomplished something in a certain area of your life only to realize it’s not what  you really want?

I’ve been there.

After spending three years in law school and a whole summer studying to pass the bar exam, I stood before a judge taking an oath to enter a profession I had no desire for.  It wasn’t that the goal of being an attorney wasn’t a noble one…it just wasn’t for me.

However, I continued down the path of being an attorney for a while. (After all, I put in lots of time, money, and hard work.)

But, when I finally got tired of going in the wrong direction, I made a U-turn.  And, I’m so glad I did.

Sadly, so many people never do.

Most people spend their whole lives heading in the wrong direction.  

Don’t let that be YOU.

Cleansing Exercise

Take an honest look at what you have been pursuing in your life.  Is it something you really want?  Will accomplishing it bring your joy and fulfillment?

Answer this question — what do I really want?

[Detox Your Soul] Day 16 – Release The Real You

Do you ever feel like you’re wearing a mask to please others? Do you sometimes hold back for fear of being criticized or rejected? Have you ever felt that you’re not good, smart or attractive enough to get what you want?

 If you’re anything like most people, you try really hard to conform and “get along.”

 In order to fit in, you compare yourself to others and criticize every aspect of how you look, act, talk, dress & feel. You’re tearing yourself apart…from the inside out – all in an effort to please others and be accepted.

 But…you’re supposed to be prefect, right?

That’s what you’ve been told all your life…in school, at work, from the media…even your friends & family expect nothing short of perfection from you.

 …if you could just try a little harder, eat a little less, say the right things to the right people…

 The tragedy is, at the end of a day full of “shoulds” and unmet expectations, you know that it’s all just a show. You know that what’s important is what’s inside of you, but you go on living out-of-touch with that core connection…and if you don’t already, you’ll end up hating yourself for it.

 Does this sound familiar to you?

Uncovering your true self is the secret to accessing your unique strengths and living your greatest life.

 Many people hide their gifts in order to fit in. They feel that if they can just act normal, they’ll achieve success & happiness. Unfortunately, another word for “normal” is “mediocre.” Nothing great comes from mediocrity…success comes from sustained GREATNESS. And the only way to know your greatness is to shine.

 But wait!!! What if you shine & somebody takes a shot at you? I mean, if you poke your head up above the crowd, you become an easy target, right? Easy targets get criticized, picked on, and outright rejected…and that HURTS.

 Well as you’re probably well aware…the ongoing pain of living inauthentically  is far greater. To live each day knowing that you could be sharing your gifts & reaping your rewards, but staying small & getting along instead…that’s the most painful experience one could face.

YOU ARE PERFECT, exactly as you are, RIGHT NOW.

Here is a word of encouragement for you today.

You don’t need the approval and validation of your peers, more money or stuff, or anything else to make you a better person. YOU’VE GOT THE GOODS, and the more you realize that and share your specialness with the world, the happier you’ll be.

Cleansing Exercise
The ABC’s of You

At the top of a sheet of paper write “I AM”. Along the left side of the page, write the letters A-Z.  Next to each letter write a word that describes who you really are.  

Read this list every morning when you go through your daily play list.

ADVANCED TIP…Here’s something fun I like to do – Every morning during my morning power hour, I make a new list.  One day, I am Amazing, Bold, Charming, Desirable, Energized…”  the next day I’m “Awesome, Brilliant, Crazy Cool, Diligent, Extraordinary..”  Then the next day I’m Alluring, Beautiful, Captivating, Daring, Exciting..”   (I could go on for days but you get the point, right? 🙂 )

My journal is filled with pages of the wonderful words that describe who God has created me to be.

Now, I know being truly authentic is easier said than done. Don’t worry, I’ve come up with something that will help you  escape mediocrity, find your greatness & shine as only you can. This training will show you the path to freedom through AUTHENTICITY.  Check it out below.

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[Detox Your Soul] Day 15 – Revitalize Your Life

Are you living a life you love?  

Most people choose to live a life they like or just barely tolerate.  Some people even choose to live a life they downright hate. One of the biggest reasons cited for staying in such undesirable states i s the belief that truly living a life you love is a myth.  

While it is elusive to the majority of folks out there, a happy, joyful, and fulfilling life can be a reality.  YOUR reality.

There are tons of people (just like you) enjoying everyday of their lives – doing work they love, engaged  in encouraging and supportive relationships, experiencing continual spiritual and personal growth with big bright smiles on their faces and true  joy in their hearts. 

Sounds like something you want?  

Your first step to living a life you love is loving the life you live.

The life you have right now is a life worth loving.

If you’re waiting for a problem free life where you have your ideal career, a perfect spouse,  and kids that clean their rooms without being asked, before you feel you have a life you can love – you’ll be waiting forever.

You may have glossed over it earlier so I’ll say it again.  The life you are living right now is a life worth loving.

Don’t believe me?

Ask yourself this one, simple question and see what your answer reveals:

What’s the best thing that happened to me today?

Really think  and pick out the best thing that happened to you in the past week.

Do you notice what happened?  All of a sudden all you could think about were the good things that happened.  Big and small, you began to sift through all the good things that happened to you over the past 7 days to find the best thing.

Made you smile,  didn’t it?

And just to keep you going, here are some other things you can do in less than five minutes to bring more enjoyment and happiness to your life right now:

  • Enjoy a few moments of peaceful silence during your day.  It doesn’t have to be long.  Even sixty seconds of quiet time will leave you refreshed and bursting with energy.
  • Turn on some music and dance.  That’s right – get your body moving…offbeat and all.  
  • Go find someone to talk to.  If you are  someone who spends lots of hours working alone, you’re missing out on one of the most critical components of life well-being – social interaction. 
  • Laugh out loud.  Don’t just text it.  Do It.  Turn on one of those crazy YouTube Videos – you know one of the ones of people doing the funniest things and have a great big belly laugh. (If you work in an office, you may want to close your door for this one.)

See, loving your life is not as difficult as you may have thought. It’s really the simple things that make the biggest difference. 

Cleansing Exercise

Take at least 15 minutes to enjoy your life today.  Choose one of the activities suggested above, or create one of your own.  Whatever, you do…Have FUN!!!

Soul Food

“I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” ~John 10:10 (Amplified Bible)

[Detox Your Soul] Day 14 – Take Out The Mental Trash

It’s such a pleasure to start the day with you!  This 21 day spiritual cleanse has meant more to me than you’ll ever know and I am sooooo grateful that you have been here to share it with me. 
Today is trash day!  This past week we’ve been removing the clutter clogging our minds and now it’s time to throw it out completely.    
Give yourself a few moments today to review the lessons of the past week.  If there are any cleansing exercises you didn’t’ get a chance to complete, do those, too.  
Tomorrow, we’re going to start Revitalizing Your Life!  I can’t wait! 🙂 

[Detox Your Soul] Day 13 – Reclaim Your Mental Energy

When was the last time you…

  • Enjoyed a meaningful conversation with a friend
  • Ate lunch somewhere other than your desk
  • Took a day off (doctor’s appointments don’t count)
  • Had a vacation for longer than five days (without checking your work email/voicemail account)
  • Enjoyed “date night” with your spouse or significant other
  • Had at least 7 hours of sleep at night
  • Accomplished everything on your daily to-do list
  • Left work at 5 pm

If your answer to most of these questions is “I can’t remember” – you’re too busy!

Busyness has become a way of life for most Americans. However, contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to sacrifice your personal happiness for professional success. You can live a productive, fulfilling life without being stressed and overwhelmed.

Whether your busyness is due to the increasing demands of others or you own procrastination habits, here are a few things you can do to tame your hectic schedule.

1. Operate In Your Highest and Best Use
As a high achiever, there are probably many things you can do exceptionally well, but only a few of those things represent your highest and best use – the activities which maximize your income and happiness. For instance, I am a speaker, writer, and coach. My highest and best use involves creating content for my newsletter and blogs, speaking to audiences, and coaching clients. Although I have the intelligence and ability to design my own website, create a marketing campaign, or even put a bookshelf together, doing those things only takes my time away from my most productive and fulfilling tasks.

2. Cut down your to-do list.
According to Forbes Magazine, the most effective and productive managers identify only three top priorities for the day. Every day, they focus on only those top three priorities and anything else they accomplish over that is a bonus. Try it for yourself. Instead of piling things on your to-do list, only add the three most essential tasks. Your productivity (and confidence) will skyrocket as you repeatedly check off all the items on your to-do list day after day.

3. Make a “Don’t Do” List.
As you shorten your to-do list, you should begin to create a “don’t do” list. If it’s not an essential task, or if you are not essential to the completion of the task, place that item on your “don’t do” list. Learn to delegate those non-essential tasks or eliminate them all together.

4. Don’t say “yes” right away.
Most of the time, our overwhelm is caused when we say “yes” to all the demands of our co-workers, family members, and friends without regard for our already busy schedules. The next time you are asked to do something you don’t have time to do, say “Let me think about that.” Before you give an answer, look at your schedule. A reminder of all the things you already have to do will put the request into proper perspective.

5. Have defined work hours, no more than 8 a day.
This is probably the most controversial of my suggestions. In the corporate world, with its pressing demands and threats of layoffs and downsizing, we want to work more to show our loyalty and dedication. However, it may surprise you, but the most productive people aren’t the ones who spend the most time at work. When you know that you have a set number of hours to accomplish certain tasks, you become more efficient and are able to set better priorities.

Cleansing Exercise
For the next week, try out the “3 Item To Do List”. At the end of each day, notice how many things you were actually able to do.